Independent on Sunday 1516 Tees

Thanks to Tees for an enjoyable crossword. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

7 Hot stuff perhaps in Spooner’s Epsom? (5,5)

CURRY SAUCE : Spoonerism of “Surrey course”, referring to the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, England.

8 Eastern leader open to the West (4)

RAJA : Reversal of(… to the West, in an across clue) AJAR(slightly open, as with a door or other opening).

10 Deny Blunt’s smuggled back dope (8)

ABNEGATE : ABATE(to blunt/diminish/weaken) containing(…’s smuggled) reversal of(back) GEN(dope/information).

12 Short male in jumper, elaborate in style (6)

ROCOCO : Last letter deleted from(Short) “cock”(a male bird) contained in(in) ROO(short for “kangaroo”/the Australian jumping marsupial).

Defn: … of art, decoration and architecture.

13 Military adviser in mistaken idea to abscond (4-2-4)

AIDE-DE-CAMP : Anagram of(mistaken) IDEA + DECAMP(to abscond/to leave suddenly or secretly).

17 Something outstanding that nobody wants? (4)

DEBT : Cryptic defn.

18 One calls to order audio equipment (7)

SPEAKER : Double defn: 1st: …/presides in a legislative assembly; and 2nd: Short for “loudspeaker”/audio equipment.

19 Large tool shown around brings calumny (7)

SLANDER : L(abbrev. for “large”) contained in(…shown around) SANDER(a tool for sanding/smoothing a surface).

21 See 9 Down

22 Managed to penetrate works by Eliot, initially cross (10)

TRANSVERSE : RAN(managed, say, an organisation) contained in(to penetrate) [ T.S. VERSE ](how one might describe the works of T.S. Eliot, English poet, refered to by his initials/initially).

25 Extremely impressive and hilarious joke (6)

KILLER : Double defn.

26 Fool in island stream, unending in distance (8)

IMBECILE : I(abbrev. for “island”) + “beck”(a stream/rivulet) minus its last letter(unending) contained in(in) MILE(a measured distance).

30 Where those who serve eat dog’s dinner (4)

MESS : Double defn: 1st: Room or building where those who serve in the armed forces eat.

31 Bad NBC are caught in lie, seeking sanctuary (10)

TABERNACLE : Anagram of(Bad) NBC ARE contained in(caught in) TALE(a lie).

Defn: A holy place of worship.

Down

1 Muzzle small bear that crosses river (4)

CURB : CUB(a young bear) containing(that crosses) R(abbrev. for “river”).

Defn: …/to keep in check.

2 Orders to discard fine cheese (4)

BRIE : “brief”(a set of instructions/orders given to a person about a task) minus(to discard) “f”(abbrev. for “fine”).

3 Faustina regularly seen in huge region (4)

ASIA : 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th letters of(… regularly seen) “Faustina“.

4 Satirist simply not good man: easily corrupted (7)

JUVENAL : “just”(simply/only/no more than, as in “she’s just pretending”) minus(not) “st”(abbrev. for “saint”/a good man) + VENAL(easily corrupted/susceptible to being bribed).

Answer: Roman poet of the late 1st and early 2nd century AD, who authored a collection of satirical poems called, well, The Satires.

5 Permit Oslo or Rome to slip badly as city (10)

METROPOLIS : Anagram of(… badly) either [PERMIT OSLO] or [ROME TO SLIP].

6 Coppers to arrest socialist outside church as priority (10)

PRECEDENCE : PENCE(coppers/coins of small value made of copper, such as the British pennies/pence) containing(to arrest) [ RED(a socialist or communist) containing(outside) CE(abbrev. for the Church of England) ].

9/21 Brexiteer judge given aggro becomes infuriated (5,4-4)

JACOB REES-MOGG : J(abbrev. for “judge”) plus(given) anagram of(… infuriated) AGGRO BECOMES.

Defn: A conservative English Conservative MP and Brexiteer.

10 Turkish commander edges away from infidel (3)

AGA : 1st and last letters deleted from(edges away) “pagan”(an infidel).

11 Canine elevated to become Anubis? (3)

GOD : Reversal of(… elevated, in a down clue) DOG(a canine).

Defn: An example of which/? is Anubis, the god of embalming and the dead.

14 VIP is more prepared to make do (9)

IMPROVISE : Anagram of(… prepared) VIP IS MORE.

15 One adopting the missionary position? (10)

EVANGELIST : Cryptic defn: One taking on/adopting the office/position of being sent on a religious mission. And from whose ilk the coital position is named, for obvious (or not so obvious) reasons.

16 Academic worried by Burke or Hare finally choosing body (10)

ELECTORATE : [ LECTOR(an academic/a lecturer in a college or university) + ATE(worried/made anxious) ] placed below(by, in a down clue) last letter of(… finally) either “Burke” or “Hare“.

Defn: …/collectively those exercising their choice in elections.

20 Instrument doctor used to probe woman (7)

MARIMBA : MB(abbrev. for “Bachelor of Medicine” from the Latin “Medicinae Baccalaureus”) contained in(used to probe) MARIA(a woman’s name).

23 Pounds lost to repugnant rival (3)

VIE : “vile”(repugnant/extremely unpleasant) minus(… lost to …) “L”(£/symbol for the British pound sterling).

24 Beast taking zig-zag course? (3)

EWE : [ E-W-E ](a zig-zag, specifically, a to-and-fro, course, going from E/abbrev. for East to W/abbrev. for West and then back E).

27 Ship‘s pub Kelvin attends (4)

BARK : BAR(a pub) plus(… attends) K(abbrev. for “Kelvin”, the unit of temperature measurement).

28 Banker round loch finding shellfish (4)

CLAM : CAM(the river in Cambridgeshire in eastern England) containing(round) L(abbrev. for “loch”).

29 Girl probably disheartened (4)

LILY : “likely”(probably) minus its middle 2 letters(… disheartened).